Hoshi no Kirby II: Hoshi no Hikari
by pinkrose064
Summary: Nightmare was defeated, but while Pupupuland might be at peace, other planets have yet to recover from his reign of terror. When Silica and Knuckle Joe bring a refugee princess from the planet Rock Star, her mysterious powers inspire a new generation to take back the galaxy from Nightmare’s minions.
1. Refugee

_Colors weave into a spire of flame_

_Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed_

_Bear this torch against the cold of the night_

_Search your soul and reawaken the undying light!_

_On that day, when the sky fell away_

_Our world came to an end..._

_In our eyes_

_Stood a fading sunrise_

_In the dark, glimmering shadows_

_Silence grows in the spaces between_

_Stretching out beyond time..._

_Rising up, as a chorus of souls_

_Finds a voice, flickering through the void_

_These little sparks cling onto life_

_Everyone caught in the struggle_

_And then the storms of change_

_They fan the flames_

_Scattering ashes to the wind!_

_Every soul contains a whisper of light_

_Gleaming faintly as it dwindles from sight_

_No escape, no greater fate to be made_

_In the end, the chains of time will not break_

_Colors weave into a spire of flame_

_Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed_

_Bear this torch against the cold of the night _

_Light will guide you on your way to the ultimate fight!_

星のカービー

A small ship landed in the canyon of Pupupuland. A girl exited the ship, looking around carefully before she gestured behind her, and a boy darted out, carrying another girl on his back. The three of them made their way through the canyon until they reached the massive statue known as Kabu and then proceeded to the small entrance at the statue's base.

Knuckle Joe let out a small grunt as he lowered the girl on his back to the ground, leaning her against the wall. "She's exhausted." He said to his companion.

Silica nodded, "I can't blame her. We barely made it to her in time."

"Well, what should we do now?" Joe asked.

"Go to the castle and find Sir Meta and Fumu. I'll wait here with her." Silica answered.

"Wouldn't it be better if you went?" Joe asked, but Silica shook her head.

"The last time I was there, I... didn't make the greatest impression. That idiot king might think that I'm there to attack him."

"I'd love to hear that story." Joe remarked with a smirk before heading back toward the entrance. "I'll be back as quick as I can."

Silica nodded and turned to look at the girl. She took out a blanket and draped it over her. "Just rest now... Princess."

星のカービー

Knuckle Joe quickly made his way through Pupu Village and to the castle. There wasn't really much to slow him down. It was evening, and most Cappies were in their homes already. When he made it to Castle Dedede, he debated on the best method of entry before deciding to go straight to the apartments belonging to the Cabinet Minister and his family. It took very little effort for him to climb the wall and make it to the balcony.

Cabinet Minister Parm was watching the television along with his wife and their son, Bun. Kirby was there as well. Their daughter Fumu was lying on the floor off to the side, trying to read. She still thought that watching television was a waste of time, especially when the content was entirely produced and controlled by Dedede. She looked up in surprise when she heard a knock on the balcony door.

"Huh?" The young girl stood up and pulled back the curtains, looking happily surprised when she saw Knuckle Joe on the other side of the glass, and she quickly opened the doors for him. "Knuckle Joe! What are you doing here?" Her family quickly forgot about the TV as they noticed their unexpected guest.

"Hey there Fumu. Silica and I just arrived here. We could use yours and Meta Knight's help with something." Joe explained as he walked in.

"Well let's go to his room then." Fumu replied. "Come on, I'll show you the way."

"I'll come too!" Said Bun as he stood up.

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed as he sprung to his feet, and all four children ran from the room to the part of the castle where Meta Knight lived with his disciples, Sword and Blade. Before long, Knuckle Joe led all of them back to Kabu.

Silica looked up, reaching for her weapon in case she needed it when she heard them approaching, but Knuckle Joe entered first.

"It's me, Silica." He told her, "And I brought Meta Knight, Kirby, Fumu and the others."

Silica nodded to her friend, relaxing her arm as the others descended the steps behind Joe.

"What's going on you guys? Who is that?" Fumu asked, pointing to the girl who was still asleep where Joe had set her down.

"This is Ruby, the princess of Yoyoyoland on a nearby planet called Rock Star." Silica answered as she turned to check on the girl.

"Rock Star?" Meta Knight asked in confusion, his eyes turning green with thought, "I thought that planet had fallen around the time the war ended. Yoyoyoland was the last stronghold there, but when I arrived there, I learned that the king and queen and the Star Warrior assigned to protect them had fallen to Nightmare's army."

"That's right." Blade said with a nod, remembering the place. "That's where we met you, sir."

"You showed up right after the planet had fallen." Sword added with a nod.

"Yes, that's right." Silica said with a nod as she turned back to the others, "But there's something that Nightmare did not know. Princess Ruby was born shortly before her kingdom fell, and her existence was hidden from Nightmare. The Star Warrior you mentioned had an apprentice, who was a Star Warrior-in-training. When it became clear that the castle was going to fall, the king and queen entrusted their daughter to this apprentice, who fled to another part of the planet and raised her inside of a Kabu. Multiple Kabus actually. I understand that they changed locations every so often to avoid being discovered or endangering the Kabus on that planet."

"So what happened?" Sword asked, "Why is she here with you and not with her guardian?"

"Unfortunately, even though Nightmare _was_ defeated by Kirby, his monsters still control the planets that he had already conquered." Silica explained.

"We've been trying to fight them and free those planets, but there are just too many of them." Knuckle Joe added.

"All by yourselves?" Bun asked.

"No." Silica said, closing her eyes and shaking her head before opening them again, "We've been working with Sir Arthur and the other Star Warriors who helped in the final battle against Nightmare."

"Six people isn't exactly an army." Fumu pointed out.

"That's true, but it's all that we have." Silica replied while turning to the sleeping princess, "Which brings us to why the princess is with us. Sir Arthur knew about the apprentice going into hiding with her when she was a baby and asked us to go find them, in order to bring the princess someplace safer than Rock Star while we work to free her planet. However, as we were about to leave, we were discovered. The princess' guardian entrusted her to us and asked that we take her someplace safe. We wanted to bring him with us, but he insisted that if we were to try to fight the monsters with him, we would surely all fall, so he sacrificed himself to ensure our escape."

"So you brought her here, because Pupupuland was never conquered by Nightmare." Meta Knight surmised.

"Yes." Silica said with a nod, "Sorry for all of sneaking around, but we were concerned about what might happen if that idiot of a king were to find out about all this."

"A wise decision." Meta Knight said with a nod.

"So what is your plan now?" Fumu asked.

"We need to find a safe place for the princess to live." Silica explained. "I thought perhaps you might be able to help with that."

"After that, we'll contact Sir Arthur and get our new orders." Knuckle Joe added.

"Hm..." Fumu said thoughtfully, looking over at the princess, "She's about my size and looks kinda like me. Maybe she could live with us. We could tell Dedede that she's a foreign cousin who has come to live with us for a while."

"That would make sense." Meta Knight agreed with a nod, "Although you are not royalty, you and Bun do come from a noble family. It would be perfectly believable."

Silica nodded and turned back to the princess, shaking her gently, "Your highness, please wake up."

The girl groaned slightly and looked up at Silica, drowsily taking in her surroundings. "Where are we?" She asked as she sat up and rubbed her eyes, "Are we inside of a Kabu? Don't tell me we were forced to land back on Rock Star..."

"No, Princess, we made it." Knuckle Joe told her cheerfully, "We're in Pupupuland on Pop Star."

The girl gasped, her eyes opening wide as she became aware of the other people in the chamber, "Pupupuland...?"

Fumu smiled and walked forward to greet the girl, "Hi there. My name's Fumu, and this is my brother Bun. You're going to be staying with us for a while. And this is our friend Kirby."

"Poyo!" Kirby said cheerfully.

Princess Ruby gasped and her eyes filled with tears as she looked at the tiny pink puff ball... "Kirby of the Stars..." She stood up and walked over to Kirby, taking his tiny hands in hers and kissing the top of his head, "Thank you, Kirby. When I heard how you had defeated Nightmare, it gave me hope for the future of my planet."

"Poyo..." Kirby replied, not quite understanding. The two of them looked up as Meta Knight approached them.

"I am Meta Knight of the Star Warriors. It is an honor to meet you, Princess Ruby."

"The honor is all mine, Sir Meta Knight." The princess replied with a polite bow.

At this point, Sword stepped forward, along with Blade, "I'm Sword, and this is Blade. We're originally from Yoyoyoland ourselves, but we swore loyalty to Sir Meta Knight after he saved us from a monster there."

"Even so, we're happy to know that a member of the royal family lives." Blade added, "You have our loyalty, Princess Ruby."

"Thank you, all of you." Ruby said with a nod.

"Now we just have to find a way to sneak you into the castle." Fumu said thoughtfully.

"Castle?" Ruby asked while tilting her head in confusion, and Fumu nodded.

"My father is the cabinet minister, so our family lives in King Dedede's Castle. Meta Knight, Sword, and Blade do too, so you should be safe there. But the king isn't trustworthy, so we're going to tell him that you're our cousin, but if he's going to believe that, we've got to clean you up and get you some fresh clothes before you meet him."

Ruby nodded in understanding, "A bath sounds really nice, actually. But where are we going to find clothes for me?"

"Don't worry." Fumu said cheerfully, "I've got some extra clothes that are brand new. We're about the same size, so they should fit you."

"Are you sure you don't mind?" Ruby asked with worry.

"No, it's okay." Fumu assured her, "The colors will look better on you than they would me anyway. The problem is how we're going to get you to my family's apartment without anybody noticing..."

"That won't be too difficult." Silica said with a smile, "I can use my grappling hook to bring her straight to your family's balcony while you guys go in the front door."

"And I can follow Silica, no problem." Joe added while rubbing his nose with one finger as he always did.

"Then let's go!" Bun said.

星のカービー

"I really like this outfit, Fumu-san." Princess Ruby said, turning slightly in the mirror to admire the clothing Fumu had given her. It was a bodysuit of similar design to Fumu's, but instead of Fumu's preferred pink and green, it was blue and purple, the colors separated by a wavy line that looked like sheet music.

"I'm glad to hear it. Come here and let Mama brush your hair." Fumu said, standing by her vanity. Ruby did as she was told, sitting on the stool and allowing Memu to brush through her curls, since Fumu was too short when she was sitting there.

"Now that we finally got all of the dirt out of it, your hair is really pretty, Princess Ruby." Memu remarked, "I can see why your parents gave you that name. Your hair is like a jewel."

"Thank you for the kind words, Lady Memu." Ruby replied, "But please, just call me Ruby. My planet has been ruled by Nightmare and his monsters for as long as I can remember. I can hardly even be called a princess. In my mind, we are equals. Besides, King Dedede will be told that I am your niece, so it won't do for you to refer to me by my title."

"Very well then." Memu agreed, "But then you must call me Auntie. A niece does not call her aunt 'Lady', now does she?"

"Fair enough." Ruby said with a smile as Fumu opened a drawer on her vanity and dug through it. A moment later, she turned to Ruby, a blue headband with a music note on it in her hand.

"Here Ruby, wear this. It was meant to go with those clothes, and it can keep your hair out of your eyes." She told Ruby.

"All right." Ruby remarked, accepting the object and slipping it into her hair. "I love it! It goes perfectly with..."

"Your highness." Silica said as she entered the room, "I've finished cleaning your necklace. It seems to have been well kept, but now it's been polished to a shine."

"Oh! Thank you Silica." Ruby said as she hopped down from the vanity stool. "I was just thinking about this."

"What is that?" Fumu asked as she watched Ruby accept a pendent from Silica. The pendant was in the shape of a yellow topaz star overlapped by a music note set with onyx stones and hanging from a strand of black pearls.

"This is the royal crest of Yoyoyoland." Ruby explained as she began to loop the necklace around her neck, "I usually wear it under my collar, but I take it off to bathe. My parents entrusted it to my guardian when he escaped with me on the night my kingdom fell. I was always told that someday, when the monsters have all been destroyed, this necklace will be proof of my identity as heir to the throne of Yoyoyoland."

"Oh I see." Fumu replied, "But it seems like it's special to you even without that."

Ruby smiled softly, touching her hand to the pendant, "Although I can't remember them, this necklace helps me feel close to my parents. It's like when I wear it, I can feel their love for me." Fumu and Silica both smiled at Ruby's sentiment and she smiled back before heading back to the living room where the boys were. "So were you able to contact Sir Arthur, Silica?"

"Yes." Silica said with a nod, "He wants Knuckle Joe and I to remain here on Pop Star as a replacement for your guardian and to continue training and honing our skills for now. However, there is a slight problem that he doesn't know about." She added while twisting a strand of hair in her fingers thoughtfully.

"A problem?" Ruby asked in confusion.

Silica looked at her and nodded. "There's no way that King Dedede will let Joe and I stay here in the castle with you." She explained. "I'm afraid that he isn't particularly fond of either one of us, so we'll have to find lodging elsewhere."

"We can probably build you guys houses, but you can stay with Kirby for now." Fumu said, "It would be better than a tent."

"Yes, but that doesn't solve the problem of who will guard the princess while she is here in the castle." Silica pointed out.

"I believe that Sword Knight and Blade Knight should do that." Meta Knight said.

"Us?" Both Knights echoed.

"Why them?" Knuckle Joe asked curiously.

Meta Knight turned toward his followers, seeming to direct his answer more at them than at Joe. "The two of you are originally from Rock Star, from Yoyoyoland. It is your duty to guard the heir to the throne."

"We understand, sir." Blade said with a nod.

"We'll protect her with our lives." Sword added.

"And since Sword and Knight actually work here in the castle, you guys can guard her when she goes out." Bun said, seeming to catch on Meta Knight's line of thinking.

Ruby smiled softly and bowed politely, "Thank you all sincerely for your help."

* * *

Been working on this for a while and finally got the kinks worked out for the plot. Lifelight is the "theme song" for this story, which I figured was fine since Kirby and Smash are both owned (or at least licensed) by Nintendo. Both the English and Japanese versions will have a place in this story and will play an important role.


	2. Reality

_Colors weave into a spire of flame_

_Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed_

_Bear this torch against the cold of the night_

_Search your soul and reawaken the undying light!_

_On that day, when the sky fell away_

_Our world came to an end..._

_In our eyes_

_Stood a fading sunrise_

_In the dark, glimmering shadows_

_Silence grows in the spaces between_

_Stretching out beyond time..._

_Rising up, as a chorus of souls_

_Finds a voice, flickering through the void_

_These little sparks cling onto life_

_Everyone caught in the struggle_

_And then the storms of change_

_They fan the flames_

_Scattering ashes to the wind!_

_Every soul contains a whisper of light_

_Gleaming faintly as it dwindles from sight_

_No escape, no greater fate to be made_

_In the end, the chains of time will not break_

_Colors weave into a spire of flame_

_Distant sparks call to a past still unnamed_

_Bear this torch against the cold of the night _

_Light will guide you on your way to the ultimate fight!_

星のカービー

"We gotta figure out something, Escargon!" King Dedede exclaimed as he paced in his throne room the following morning.

"Well how should I know, Sire? We brought in outside help for the last two." The snail replied, both anxious and annoyed.

"Pardon me, your majesty." Parm said as he entered the throne room with Ruby.

"Hm?" The king looked over at his cabinet minister, "What is it Parm? I'm busy."

"I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to my niece." Parm explained while gesturing to Ruby, "She's going to be staying with my family for a while. This is Ruby."

"Greetings, your majesty." Ruby greeted as she folded her hands in front of her in a prim manner, "It is my great honor to make your acquaintance." She added while bowing politely.

"Well, well..." King Dedede remarked with amused interest, taking Ruby's hand in his own when she offered it to him, "Nice to meet you too, Ruby. Parm, you oughta have this niece of yours give your own kids some lessons in manners."

"I'll... I'll keep that in mind, your majesty." Parm said with a nervous laugh.

"Hey Ruby, you must've come from far away. Maybe you can help us with a little problem we're having." Escargon remarked.

"A problem?" Ruby asked in confusion.

"Well you see..." Dedede began, "Next week is the start of the New Year, and every year here in Pupupuland, we do something different. Last year, we had a game show. The year before that, we had a fireworks show, but we can't come up with a good idea for this year."

"Hm..." Ruby said thoughtfully before her eyes lit up, "I know! What about a talent show?"

"A talent show?" The King and Escargon asked in unison.

"Yes." Ruby said with a nod, "You could invite all of your subjects to compete by displaying their individual talents in front of a crowd. Naturally, you would be the judge, your majesty."

"Me? Why me?" Dedede asked.

"Why, who better to decide who the most talented citizen of Pupu Village is than the king?" Ruby asked, "Whose opinion could matter more than yours? Uncle Parm, Auntie Memu, and Doctor Escargon should be judges too. That way, the entire royal court is represented. You could also have a festival before the talent show and allow other citizens to run food stands and game booths, which would stimulate the economy."

"Hey..." Dedede said in amazement, "Now that sounds like a great idea!"

"But what would the prize be?" Escargon asked.

"How about a trophy?" Ruby suggested, "One with a design that represents Pupupuland as a whole... for example... Ah! A shooting star!"

"A shooting star?" Escargon repeated.

"Why would that represent Pupupuland?" Dedede asked.

"Well, maybe you don't realize this, but, this planet itself is actually shaped like a five-pointed star." Ruby explained, "And where I come from, Pupupuland is known as 'the Land of Dreams'. People wish on shooting stars, right? So it's a perfect representation of that."

Both the King and his advisor gasped in awe before Dedede suddenly laughed heartily, "Ruby, you got some good ideas in that pink head of yours. We gonna do everything just the way you said. Escargon! Let's get moving!" Before Escargon could reply, Dedede had grabbed him by his eyestalks and dragged the hapless snail out of the room with him as he raced out.

星のカービー

"Why were you being so nice to Dedede in there?" Fumu asked as she, Bun, Ruby, Kirby, Silica, and Knuckle Joe made their way to town.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked in confusion, "I was only treating him with the proper respect that his rank entitles him to."

"If you ask me, he doesn't deserve to be king." Fumu huffed.

"Nobody is born worthy of being a monarch, it is something they must learn." Ruby pointed out, "If King Dedede has not been taught that, well, then I'm afraid that only those who raised him are to blame."

"Huh?" Bun asked in confusion.

"Never mind." Ruby said with a shake of her head, "Where are we going, anyways?"

"Oh, the first place I wanted to show you is Mr. Curio's shop. He's an archaeologist who is studying the history of Pupupuland." Fumu replied.

"I see." Ruby said with a smile, "Well I look forward to viewing his findings."

Suddenly a loud screech filled the air and a strong wind blew as a shadow passed overhead. As the gale subsided, Ruby looked up to see a large bird flying of into the distance. "What is that?" She asked.

"That's Dynablade." Fumu replied.

"Dynablade?" Ruby asked in confusion.

"Once every hundred years, Dynablade awakens to raise a chick here in Pupupuland, and then goes back to sleep when the chick is grown." Fumu explained, "She's raising her current chick right now."

"That makes no sense." Ruby deadpanned.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Fumu asked, but Ruby shook her head.

"Never mind. I'll explain later. Let's go on to see Mr. Curio like you said."

星のカービー

"...These artifacts were left behind by the ancient Cappy Tribe." Curio explained as Ruby looked at the objects in his store.

"Mr. Curio believes that Pupupuland originally belonged to the Cappies, not the Dededes, and the goal of his research is to prove it." Fumu explained.

"I don't mean to be rude," Ruby began, "But even if you prove it, then what?"

"Huh?" Fumu said in confusion.

"How long have the Dededes been ruling Pupupuland?" Ruby asked.

"Um, well, as I recall, Dedede has been ruling for 303 years, and he's the 17,052nd king in his line." Fumu said thoughtfully, "At least, that's what he claims."

"Leaving his position in the dynasty aside, it's safe to assume that he has been ruling that long." Ruby said bluntly, "If anybody actually remembered a time when a Dedede wasn't on the throne, they would make a point to say so. In other words, what you're telling me is that Dedede has been king for over 300 years, and in all that time, nobody has tried to overthrow him. With that in mind, regardless of what may have been in ancient times, I don't think that you can say he doesn't have the right to rule. In not doing anything about it, you've given him your consent by default."

"That's not true!" Bun exclaimed, "He's a stupid and horrible king who only cares about himself!"

"Is he?" Ruby asked while looking at the two other children sharply, "Even if you did rise up and overthrow him, then what? Who would take his place? Would the new regime even be a monarchy? You say he's a terrible king, but Pupupuland is beautiful and free. My own kingdom is a wasteland overrun by monsters." She turned toward the siblings fully, fixing them both with a stern glare, "You're naive! People call this place the 'Land of Dreams' because it is beautiful and lush and was never conquered by Nightmare. Even if he is unintelligent, Dedede can't be that terrible of a king if Pupupuland has managed to survive this long under his reign. Don't talk about things like 'the right to rule' and 'revolution' unless you're actually prepared to do something and can actually consider the consequences and what will come next! If everyone in this kingdom is like the three of you, then all of you are nothing but talk, spouting out dangerous words and ideas without the courage or the wisdom to back them up! If you feel so strongly, then make a plan and do something about it! Otherwise, just be content with how lucky you are!" Before anyone could say anything, Ruby abruptly ran from the shop.

"Ruby!" Silica called with concern, quickly following the young princess.

"Wait up!" Knuckle Joe called as he and Kirby also followed.

"Geez, what's her problem?" Bun asked as Fumu crossed her arms and puffed her cheeks out angrily.

"Perhaps I should explain." Meta Knight said, having appeared out of nowhere as usual.

"Sir Meta Knight..." Fumu said, wondering why exactly he was here and why he hadn't announced his presence sooner.

星のカービー

"Ruby, wait!" Silica called urgently as she, Knuckle Joe, and Kirby chased after the pink-haired princess, "We don't know our way around here! We could get lost!" Her pleas apparently fell on death ears as Ruby headed for the forest, but Kirby increased his speed and caught up to the young girl, smiling at her and waving his arms to get her attention. Ruby sniffled slightly and wiped her eyes.

"What is it, Kirby-chan?" She asked. Kirby babbled nonsensically, but he turned around and gestured for the others to follow him into the forest.

"I guess Kirby knows his way around in there..." Knuckle Joe speculated.

"He's so strange..." Ruby muttered, obviously mystified by the young warrior, "He can't speak, but yet, he's able to navigate a forest like this."

"That's just the way he is." Silica said with an awkward smile.

Kirby led the trio through the forest cheerfully, eventually bringing them to clearing with a large tree and a patch of flowers growing in front of it.

"Ah! What beautiful flowers!" Ruby said as she approached the patch, careful not to step on any.

"Lovely! Lovely!" Kirby exclaimed as he pointed at the flowers.

"Huh? Lovely?" Ruby asked in confusion, "Is that what these flowers are called?"

Kirby nodded and then pointed to the tree, "Whispy!"

"Whispy?" Ruby repeated, still confused. Suddenly a face formed on the tree, startling the young girl and causing her to fall backwards.

"Pardon me for startling you." The tree said, "I am the king of this forest, Whispy Woods."

"Oh, so that's what Kirby-chan was trying to say." Ruby said as she stood back up and dusted herself off. "It's a pleasure to meet you, King Whispy. I am Ruby, and this is Silica and Knuckle Joe."

Whispy almost seemed to nod in acknowledgement, "Normally, I am weary of strangers, but if Kirby brought you here, then you must be his friends."

"Yes. Kirby was the one leading us. He's the only one who could come in here without getting lost, I imagine." Silica said. Without a word, Kirby floated up to Whispy's lush branches and inhaled a piece of red fruit growing there.

"Hm?" Ruby said as she took notice of Kirby's actions, "Hey Silica, Knuckle Joe, what are those red things in Lord Whispy's branches?"

"Haven't you ever had an apple before?" Knuckle Joe asked in confusion. Ruby raised a brow at him.

"You've seen my homeland. Did Rock Star _look _like it had an abundance of edible vegetation?"

"Er, right." Knuckle Joe said awkwardly.

"Somehow, I doubt whether it's edible would stop Kirby." Silica remarked, "I've seen him eat a _sword_ before. But apples are a type of fruit. They are sweet, crunchy, and juicy."

When Ruby gasped in amazement, Whispy spoke to her, "Would you like to try one?"

"Huh? Is that okay?" Ruby asked. Whispy nodded again.

"I don't mind sharing my fruit with friends." Abruptly, three roots sprouted from the ground and reached up, retrieving apples from Whispy's branches before holding them out to the three visitors. Ruby gasped in amazement as she and her companions accepted the fruit. She did as Knuckle Joe and Silica did, rubbing the apple against her bodysuit before biting into it. Her face filled with delight as she chewed the fruit and then swallowed.

"Without a doubt, this planet is amazing!" She said blissfully, "Just look at this. Lush forest, happy carefree animals, talking trees, delicious fruit... How could Fumu-chan and Bun-kun have so many complaints about the life that they have here?" She looked at the apple, rubbing its shiny surface in thought before speaking her mind, "Lord Whispy, maybe you could tell me. Fumu-chan and Bun-kun said that King Dedede is a terrible ruler, even though he's been king for over three-hundred years and it's still so wonderful here... I don't understand how they could say that... compared to my planet, this place is..."

"I cannot say much about what happens outside this forest, but King Dedede has attempted to destroy this forest and myself on more than one occasion." Whispy told her.

"Eh? Why?!" Ruby exclaimed.

"He wants to build a golf course for himself here, but this forest is in the way." Whispy explained.

"That's ridiculous." Ruby said softly, "He has a whole kingdom available. Surely there is some place that would work just as well without requiring such heavy deforestation." She continued to look thoughtful as Whispy nodded, "...How did you survive these attempts?" She finally asked.

"Kirby helped me." Whispy told her. "The first time, Kirby spit out one of my apples, which he had eaten. From that, I was able to regenerate and replant the forest on my own. The second time, Kirby protected us when Dedede turned the original Lovely into a monster."

"I see..." Ruby said thoughtfully, "It's not that this kingdom is so lovely because Dedede is a good king, or even a decent king. It's just that Kirby has protected it from his foolishness."

"That's right." Silica said with a nod, "From what I understand, this place would've been overrun by Nightmare long ago if not for Kirby, since Dedede was a frequent customer of theirs."

"He was?!" Ruby exclaimed in shock, "But why? Didn't he understand the danger to his own kingdom? To himself?"

"I don't think Dedede knew much about Nightmare or the war since it never reached here." Silica explained, "Nightmare couldn't complete his conquest without Galaxia, which has been guarded by Sir Meta Knight for many years. That's probably the original reason that Nightmare started selling to Dedede, but I guess it called Kirby's Star Ship here by mistake."

"I see..." Ruby said, her face full of regret, "I think I spoke out of turn to Fumu-chan and Bun-kun..."

"You didn't know." Silica comforted her, "And you weren't entirely wrong either. Talk that doesn't lead to action is meaningless."

"Why don't you go apologize to them?" Knuckle Joe suggested, "I'm sure they'll forgive you if you talk to them."

"Yeah." Ruby said with a nod before looking up at the sage tree, "Thank you for explaining things to me Whispy. I understand now. Kirby-chan, can you please show us the way back?"

"Poyo!" Kirby exclaimed as he jumped out of Whispy's branches and began leading his friends back the way they came.

星のカービー

"Why did you bring us to Kabu, Sir Meta Knight?" Fumu asked.

"In order to understand Princess Ruby's feelings, I think that you must first understand her history." Meta Knight explained, "Kabu can do this better than I can."

"In that case, can you please tell us about Ruby, Kabu?" Fumu asked.

"The long-lived Kabu shall answer..." The stone began, his interior changing into a projection of past events. "Princess Ruby was born to the king and queen of Rock Star when there were only a few Star Warriors left. Her birth was a closely guarded secret. Soon afterward, it became clear that Rock Star would no longer be able to resist Nightmare's army. In order to protect their daughter and the future of their planet, the king and queen entrusted Ruby to an apprentice Star Warrior, who took her and fled from their castle just before it was besieged. Ruby's guardian raised her inside of the many Kabu scattered across Rock Star and taught her of her duties as princess, but the two of them had a very hard life. To protect the Kabu, they would change locations frequently, and these journeys were the only times she was allowed outside. At all other times, she could only hide within my comrades and study while her guardian searched for food and water. Their existence was meager, and Ruby began to lose hope, yet she knew that if she tried to come out of hiding, it would be her end. It was only when the Kabu told her of Kirby and of Nightmare's defeat that she began to hope for her own future once again. Sir Arthur of the Star Warriors knew of Ruby's existence, and that was why he sent Silica and Knuckle Joe to retrieve her and bring her to a safer place to await the liberation of her planet. However, at around that same time, the one who had ruled Rock Star on Nightmare's behalf learned of her and sent monsters to end her. Seeing that the enemy numbers were too great, her guardian entrusted her to Silica and Joe before sacrificing himself to ensure their escape. So although she has safely made it here to Pupupuland, Ruby has lost the only family she has ever known. She has lived a life in which many have died for her sake."

"That's... I can't imagine..." Fumu began as she gazed at the ground, "Never able to go outside? Losing her whole family? Sergeant Dakonya told me before about how during the war, it was too dangerous for kids to play outside, but I can't even imagine what that would be like."

"That is because the war never reached this place." Meta Knight remarked, "And the Cappies are a peaceful people, so they have no desire to go to war against the king. But for Ruby, to be royal means to have others who will live and die for your sake, and in return, she does all she can to survive for the sake of the future."

"It's no wonder she got mad at us..." Fumu lamented, "We live in a castle, we have lots of food, and Pupupuland is safe. Even though she's a princess, she's never known what any of that's like."

"Plus, she's gotta be upset about losing her guardian." Bun added, "But why hasn't she said anything about that?"

"Remember when Princess Rona came here and switched places with her guard so that she wouldn't have to hide her feelings?" Fumu replied, "I bet Ruby is used to hiding her feelings and when she heard us complaining about King Dedede, it just got to be too much for her. We should go find her and apologize."

"Yeah." Bun said with a nod.


End file.
